Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Primal Curse
by Survivian
Summary: A human named Aaron has been transported to the world of Pokemon to defend it from impending doom. Many of the Legendary Pokemon are becoming Primal and Aaron knows this. Once he becomes a Pokemon, he doesn't lose his memory, but instead loses his... voice? Now he is part of guild that has disabled Pokemon as specialists and he must join them to save the world!
1. Chapter 1

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Primal Curse Chapter: 1 (A/N: Takes place in the Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon universe)

"Huff, huff, huff..." A Pokemon's silhouette was running through a forest seemingly out of breath. It was carrying a satchel that was weighed down with some heavy objects. "I can't allow them to take these." It took out three jewel-like objects. One had a light-blue luster and was a polygonal, spherical shape (Adamant Orb), another had pink and lavender shine with a perfectly spherical shape (Lustrous Orb), and the last one was a dusty yellow color with jagged edges and a hollow of a triangle (Griseous Orb). It put the orbs back in its satchel and took out a pearl with a pink mist swirling inside. "I can only do this one more time. I must make it count." It took the pearl, threw it on the ground and crushed it with their foot. The mist grew from the pearl, enveloped their body, and caused the Pokemon to disappear.

Two Pokemon came into the clearing from which the other one disappeared from. "We lost her." The one who spoke was a purple bipedal Pokemon with sharp claws, pointed ears, and two crystals for eyes (Sableye).

"Do not fret. She cannot do much yet anyways." This Pokemon was one who very much resembled a sarcophagus with four hand-like apparitions protruding from it (Cofagrigus). "We should report back that she fled."

[In a different dimension...]  
There is the world where Pokemon and humans coexist as pets or as battling partners. Aaron is a boy who has a pet in a sense but it was originally just a wild Pokemon who would stop by to eat the food he would leave out. His pet is a wild Treecko who was drawn by some PokeFood Aaron would leave out every day. One late afternoon, while he and Treecko were looking off into the distance Aaron fell asleep on the porch. He began to have a weird, almost lucid, dream.

A silhouette of a Pokemon was floating a little ways off and Aaron was also floating. "Where am I?"

The silhouette revealed itself as a light pink cat-like Pokemon, with a long slender tail and a presence of cuteness and hidden aura of omnipotence (Mew). Strangely it seemed tired and worn but managed to keep a warm face that was very calming. "I'm so glad that I could find someone like you. Our world is in danger and its disasters will soon spread to your world if no one stops it."

"What kind of danger? What's happening?" Aaron was becoming increasingly frantic. "And why am I involved?"

"Calm down. The legendary Pokemon are starting to revert back to their Primal states. They can't keep things in balance and they act completely on impulse. Their activity will continually become worse until they bring the entire world to ruin. I've managed to keep three more of them at bay for the time being." Mew shows Aaron the three orbs she's managed to keep obtain. "These are some of the most important Pokemon artifacts for the most important Pokemon, the Creation Trio." She levitated the orbs into a satchel and led it over to Aaron. "I can't stay on the run forever, and I am truly sorry for this burden that I have put on you, but I require assistance from someone cares for the world and for Pokemon just as much as I. I need you to keep these safe for me."

"Wait. How can I keep these safe? Isn't this a dream? Will I be going anywhere?" Aaron had many questions but..,

"Sadly, you cannot stay here in your world. The actions you take here will not impact the world I am from. You will be transported to the world of sentient Pokemon, and you, yourself, will have to become a Pokemon as well. Meanwhile, I am also projecting my image to someone who will take care of you in this world. I require you choose a Pokemon that you would like to be identified as."

Aaron wanted to instinctively say 'Treecko,' but this was a tough choice. He tried to think of the Pokemon that most resembled him. Aaron was shy around new people but eventually warms up to them. His favorite type of Pokemon was Grass type thanks to Treecko. His final decision was, "Snivy. I want to be identified as a Snivy."

Mew smiled and said, "I understand. I shall relay this to the Pokemon who will be meeting you. The Pokemon that will be rescuing you will be a Riolu. She will bring you to a team of other Pokemon whom you will live with to keep those orbs safe."

"What about my parents? What will you do about them?"

"Their minds will temporarily be erased so as to not worry about you. This is the only way to save both of our worlds. Please understand."

"..." Aaron sat in silence for a while until he says, "I understand. I'm prepared mentally so please initiate the transfer, if that's how this works."

"Very well." Mew's eyes began to glow a strong light blue color which seemed to envelop Aaron. He was being to float higher and higher from the "ground." Aaron looked down and saw that little by little his body began to disappear, breaking off into particles and fading away in a proverbial wind. Once Aaron's being had been completely transferred, Mew closed her eyes and softly whispered, "Thank you."

Aaron felt himself slowly waking up. Everything seemed to fade into existence as he opened his eyes. He felt different but also slightly heavier. He looked to his side to see the satchel that Mew had given him, and thought to himself, 'Success!' He also looked completely down to notice that his body seemed to be different, but still his, and it was in the shape and color of a Snivy. 'Whoa. Calm down Aaron. You knew this was going to happen. Just take a deep breath and calm down.' After convincing himself that everything was fine, he stood up and began to examine the clearing he was in. 'When is the escort Mew talked about going to be here? She did say it was a Riolu, right?' He continued pacing around in the clearing picking oran, pecha, and sitrus berries from the nearby bushes until he heard a rustling from some other shrubs a little ways away. Aaron braced himself for something to pop out at him.

All that emerged from the shrubs was a small humanoid-like Pokemon with mostly blue and black fur. It had black fur around its eyes, almost like a mask and had many dog-like features as well. It also had tassel-like objects by its ears that were floating with a blue light surrounding them (Riolu). It was wearing a purple scarf or ascot with 'G' and a foot on it as well. It opened its eyes to reveal a milky white coloration to the iris and the pupils indicating that it was blind. It spoke with a female voice, "Is someone here? I was told in a dream that I would meet someone important here."

Aaron realized that this was the Riolu that Mew wanted him the meet. He attempted to call out, but when he did no sound came out. Only air and another raspy sound came out from his throat. He tried again, but it had the same result. 'Why can't I say anything?' He tried a third time letting out a heaving cough that made the Riolu's head turn towards him.

The Riolu acted quickly, pounced onto Aaron, and pinned him with one hand on his arm and the other raised to strike. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Aaron let out a raspy squeal for help. He frantically tried to explain what was going on, but in came out in nothing but breezes and breaths.

The Riolu had a look of confusion on her face. She closed her eyes and her black tassels started to float again. "Oh. Are you the Snivy that Mew told me to find?"

Aaron nodded frantically and pulled out the orbs from the satchel which shined in the light.

The Riolu had a surprised look despite the fact that her eyes were closed. "Put those away! We don't want to draw unnecessary attention." She unpinned Aaron and stood up. She extended her hand to hoist up Aaron which he took gratefully. "By the way my name's Lia, but most just call me Ly. What's your's?"

Aaron tried saying his name but the same wasted breaths came from his mouth again.

"Are you a mute? Is that why you can't speak? Well, I don't suppose you can really answer that. I'll show you back to my team's base."

Aaron bowed his head in thanks and began to follow Lia. 'Why can't I say anything? I'm not normally a mute. Did Mew do this to me or did something else happen?' He practiced saying the alphabet over and over, but silence and air just came out. Aaron was mortified at his newfound inability to speak and became depressed.

Lia, being more in tune with aura than most Riolu, felt Aaron's depression. "Were you not always a mute?"

Aaron looked up and shook his head.

"Well, once we get back to my home, we have something that can help you speak. It is a temporary fix, but we can better understand each other after that. Until then, I'll be your escort."

Both of them finally arrived at Lia's guild building. It seemed massive, but it only had one floor. The logo that was on Lia's scarf was also present on the building's front entrance. The inside was one large hub area with multiple areas branching off from it. The hub area was a social space with a kitchen and canteen. There was a board that had what seemed like wanted posters and job offers for something that Aaron had no clue about. They both walked through one of the branches and were in a different space altogether. There were a few Pokemon milling around, but all of them had something that was slightly off about them.

"This is the team base for Team Gimp. Before you laugh, this is one of the best exploration teams in the guild. We are made up of Pokemon that have disabilities, but because of which, they have special skills that no one can duplicate. I'll show you to the team leader." Lia led Aaron down the largest branch entrance which was a pure black color. They entered into a room that was an average sized office but all of the walls were a black color and the desk was a normal desk. Aaron looked at Lia with a look of confusion. "Just wait. The leader will show up soon." Aaron looked around the room and finally looked up to see a Pokemon hanging from the ceiling. It dropped right in front of Lia and Aaron which startled him, but she didn't even flinch.

The bat-like Pokemon was a black color with purple on its chest and wings. It has large ears for hearing, red talons on its hands and feet, and a large white mane flowing from its neck. Its eyes would usually be yellow, but his eyes were a cloudy white like Lia's (Noivern). He took a little mechanical device from off his desk and started to make almost random sounding clicking noises with it.

Aaron tapped Lia's arm and shrugged indicating he had no clue what was happening.

"Our exploration team leader, Tremor, is a blind mute. He's like if you mixed me with you. He communicates with either his Porse code machine (A/N: Pun on Morse code) or with PSL (A/N: Pokemon Sign Language which is a pun on American Sign Language). He's the overseer of the Head of Information for the entire guild and he also trains future information gatherers as well. He prefers to work with mutes such as you. His ears are so sensitive, they say he can hear the water flowing through a plant. If you're wondering what he's saying it's, 'Who is the new one you have brought to the HQ?' He's the one I told you about. The Snivy that Mew told me to look out for."

"How do you know that he is the one?" Tremor clicked. Aaron, as of now, has no clue how to translate this series of rapid clicks and is amazed how Lia can.

"He's the only Snivy that has ever been out in those woods and he is protecting some very important items for us. Come on." She was motioning Aaron. "Show him the orbs."

Aaron shifted through his satchel and pulled out the three orbs. He handed them to Tremor who proceeded to feel over them. His expression went from curious to shocked in a matter of seconds.

Tremor picked up his clicker again and said, "Bring me a Tempfix. I want to see this with my own eyes."

"Yes, sir." Lia left the room for about a minute and came back with an emblem that had a pair of Moltres wings and a golden button in the center. "I brought it."

Tremor took the emblem and placed it on his chest. He pressed the button and the life in his eyes was restored to a bright yellow and he let out a few coughs. His voice seemed surprisingly full of life and young. "Even with my eyes, I can't believe what is right here. The orbs of the Creation Trio. Looks like your dream was spot on. If you don't mind, I would like to speak with our guest alone."

"Not at all. Don't hurt him, though. He's important. I can feel it." Lia left the room.

"So, introductions first. Who are you?" He handed Aaron a pen and paper.

"Aaron," he wrote. "And I was a human at one point."

"I see. So our world is in danger again it seems..."

"Again?"

"Yes. Almost every time a human has come to our world (A/N: I say almost because Gates to Infinity had no end-of-the-world scenario), it means that the end will come if we don't stop it. Do you know what's happening?"

Aaron wrote faster. "Legendary Pokemon are being turned Primal."

"What?" Tremor was taken aback. "... Do you know which ones have been taken by Primal instinct?"

Aaron wrote seriously and jokingly, "I know which ones aren't." He was referring to the orbs for the Creation Trio.

"Hmm... Have you had any other contact with Mew since before your transfer?"

"No."

"Do you think she might show again to you some other time?"

Aaron just shrugged.

"Not a lot of information, hmm? Well, I'll relay what you have told me to the Guildmaster." Tremor sat back at his desk and clicked away in Porse.

"Can I learn that?" Aaron waved his hands and held up his paper.

"Learn what? Porse code?"

Aaron nodded.

"I suppose I could teach you. I could also teach you PSL as well. Do you have any experience in exploration?"

"Nope."

"I figured as much. Well, I'll have Miss Ly come back and escort you around and take you on your first mission. She's the best we have here, in fact. She was the original co-founder of Team Gimp."

"Who's the founder?"

"I don't know. Miss Ly has never mentioned him or her. That's beside the point, though. I'll send PA through the building and have her come back here." He clicked away and within about two minutes, Lia was standing at the entrance.

"You called me, sir?" Lia was standing erect next to Aaron.

"I want you to take Aaron here to the different places in and around the area. The base, the town, and the guild hall. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. Come on... Aaron, right? I'll show you the ins and outs of this place."

Aaron seemed rather happy that he was somewhat fitting in. He was surprised at how well he was taking the fact that POKEMON CAN TALK. Nonetheless, the tour continued.

"The team base is divided up based on rooms. We have recreational spaces with different activities for all of the different disabilities. We have bedrooms down this corridor on our right and the team leader's room is also his bedroom. The entire guild is only made up of five exploration teams. Each team has a large amount of Pokemon and different assignments given out to groups within that team. Speaking of assignments, right here in the guild hub area is the job board." The board she was gesturing to had several sheets of paper, some ragged, some not, as well as different posters of Pokemon that looked wanted. "These Pokemon here are the outlaws. They have done something heinous one way or another and now are on the run for it. Some can be quite tough. The other job assignments range from finding lost items to escorting or treasure hunting. Sometimes the client becomes generous and gives you a rare item, but don't count on it too often." She turned around in the direction of Aaron and felt his awe and his nervousness. "You probably have some questions. I'll get you signed up to have your own Tempfix. It's a rechargeable device that helps you regain some lost abilities, but it only lasts a certain amount of time. Luckily, since your only a mute, you can receive one of the longer lasting models. Come, follow." They both walked back into Team Gimp HQ and walked to a counter with two Pokemon behind it.

One was quite round in shape and had several frilly parts of her body with a striking pink and white pattern. She was also carrying an egg (Blissey). The other seemed to be an assistant of sorts but was a yellow orange color mostly with black ears, a long lightning bolt tail, and a face that looked like it lost popularity when it evolved (Raichu). "Oh. Hello, Ly!" The Blissey began to speak. "Are you here to pick up your Tempfix?"

"No ma'am. I'm here to sign this guy up for his own."

The Blissey eyed Aaron up and down. "Is he new?"

"Completely. He only needs the mute Pokemon Tempfix."

"Okay. All I need now is the guy's name and his footprint stamp." The Blissey pulled out a scanner that was split into two different sides, one for the left foot and the other for the right. "All I need you to do now is step up onto the scanner and hold still. Then after, I'll have you type in your name."

Aaron stepped onto the scanner and a blue light from underneath him that went back and forth a couple of times. A keyboard was presented in front of him and he typed his name in.

"Alright, Aaron. We'll get you you're Tempfix now that you're registered into the guild as an official member." The Blissey turned towards the Raichu. "Shock. I need one mute-only Tempfix."

"I'm in the middle of recharging, Lizzie. Give me about a minute." Shock's paw was touching a panel on the wall and his cheeks were glowing with electricity.

"Now, Shock." Lizzie's facial expression changed into a frightening scowl (Scary Face).

Shock shrugged off the Scary Face like he was used to it. "Alright. Don't make me move any slower than I already do." He grabbed a brand-new Moltres emblem from a shelf and gave it to Lizzie.

Lizzie took the Tempfix and used another machine to engrave Aaron's name into the back. "Here you go. This is your personal Tempfix. It runs on a battery that will run out after a certain amount of time. If you press it all the way down, it'll continue to run until you press it again. The battery will last about five hours in this mode. I recommend you use the non-perpetual function on it where you press it down halfway only when you need it. It'll last longer that way."

Aaron gratefully took the Tempfix and placed it on his chest like how Tremor did it earlier. He felt it poke through his skin, but it didn't hurt more than it surprised him. He pressed the golden button all the way down, and he felt his throat clog up. Aaron coughed a couple of times and said, "That felt differently than I thought."

Lia's seemed to be surprised a bit. "So that's what you sound like. I never would have guessed. I figured you would have a more stuck up voice."

"I'm not stuck up! I'm just shy sometimes around new people is all." Aaron looked at Lizzie and saw her with a large smile. "Thank you, Ms. Lizzie."

"You're welcome. Whenever the Tempfix runs out of battery, come back by us and we'll recharge it for you. Stay vigilant."

"I will." He turned off the Tempfix so as to use the non-perpetual mode and continued the tour with Lia. "What's next?"

"We'll go through all of Lilac City, seeing the different facilities that help us explorers."

"Alright."

They both continued going around the city seeing all the different amenities. The Watchful Bank was run by an unblinking Watchog named Redd. The Arcane Storage facility was run by an imposing Alakazam named Alzen. He always knows whose items are whose and will remember how much of each. The Sharp Shoppe was run by a Cacturne named Spines and a storefront, interest-attracting Maractus named Lily. Lily seemed to be really attracted to Aaron, but all it did was make him slightly uncomfortable. This was the last stop on their tour and by then it was getting somewhat dark.

"Well, how do you feel about the city now? Feeling any more comfortable than before?" Lia and Aaron were currently walking back to the guild.

"It's all amazing, but still so much to take in."

"How so?"

"Well, I guess it's because I've never seen Pokemon like this before. I always knew they were social creatures, but this world really puts it into perspective."

"Ah right. Originally a human, now a Pokemon, huh?"

Aaron nodded.

"Well if you ever have any questions about anything, let me know. I'll be in the bedroom at the far end of the corridor. I don't sleep as often as I should, so I'll usually be awake if you need me."

Aaron now noticed a slight red tinge to the whites of her eyes as if she was tired. "Do you ever take a break?"

"..." Lia seemed deep in thought about something. They arrived at the guild headquarters and went back into the Team Gimp branch.  
Lia directed Aaron to an empty room down the corridor. "This is your room. You can keep your personal belongings here and you can call me or Tremor from this button on the wall." It was a soft-glowing purple button.

"Thank you. For everything so far."

"Well tomorrow, you'll be going on your first assignment. I hope you can wrap your mind around that come next morning."

"I think I'll be fine." Aaron did a little salute and Lia smiled slightly.

"Lights out, Aaron." She turned off his lights and left the room.

Aaron removed the Tempfix from his chest and laid back on his bed. He gave the orbs to Tremor for safe keeping after their conversation. Aaron thought about all that had happened that day and about all that was going to happen tomorrow. He pondered the idea of using moves like a Pokemon and about how his first exploration would go. There was so much on his mind that he tired himself out and fell asleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:  
The Primal Curse Chapter: 2

Aaron was sleeping soundly. He was dreaming about his time at home, about Treecko, and about the Primal outbreak. He wasn't planning on waking up anytime soon but was forced to when he felt several slaps go across his face (Wake-Up Slap).

"You're late." It was Lia who gave him the several full force smacks. "You're only a mute, so you can't pull the 'I'm disabled' excuse."

Aaron woke up and rubbed his eyes. He noticed that Lia was wearing a Tempfix on her chest for her blindness. It revealed the ruby colored glow in her eyes which he missed once she turned off her Tempfix. He checked the battery on his before putting it on. It was at 97% charge, so he equipped it and picked up his satchel (The one that held the orbs. Apparently, it was higher quality than the standard issue bags, and it could hold about twice as many items). Aaron and Lia made their way down to Team Gimp's lobby.

Tremor was giving a breakdown of what each group of members would be doing that day. He was speaking and using PSL at the same time as well. When he saw Aaron and Lia enter, he stopped his sound off and introduced Aaron. "This is our newest member to Team Gimp. His name is Aaron and he is also a human that has been sent to this world." There was a moderate amount of clamor coming from the crowd of Pokemon, but Tremor hushed them. "He may be a human, however, but I don't want him to receive any extra treatment. He is a Pokemon now. Treat him like any other greenhorn, with respect. Do I make myself clear?" All of the crowd threw up their hands in agreement and salute. "Good. That is all." After everyone filed away, he turned towards Aaron and Lia. "You two. I need to talk to you." He walked towards his office while the duo followed. They entered and sat down in front of his desk. "I need you two to check up on an offer that has been made with the Galamence guild."

"An offer? What kind of offer?" Lia was stoically curious.

"... The Weather Trio's orbs."

"What? You mean those three Legendaries?" Lia was visibly shocked.

"Who are they?" Aaron was legitimately confused. He also really hates the pronoun game.

"The three Legendary Pokemon that control the land, sea, and sky: Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. They control the weather itself. Groudon can cause droughts, Kyogre can cause torrential rainfalls, and Rayquaza can eliminate the weather conditions completely." Tremor's explanation sent chills down Aaron's spine. "They could very well destroy the world if they became Primal. This exchange could very well change everything."

"Well, what do they want for it?" Lia demanded.

"They want nothing. The Pokemon said that they did not want them to fall into the wrong hands."

"Sounds like a trap to me," Aaron inputted.

"Exactly. That's why I'm sending you two as the mediators."

Aaron stared. He broke after a few seconds. "What? You want just us, to go into a possible trap to see if this deal is real?"

"I don't see a problem with it." Lia seemed completely calm about this situation.

"How?"

"Well, we have a backup plan," Tremor explained. "If the situation does happen to be a trap, then you two will have Escape orbs to immediately back out of the situation. I'll give you some just so that it's covered."

"Why us, though? Aren't there more qualified Pokemon in the guild that could also do this?"

"There are, however, because you two look unassuming, and the dealer may be more inclined to go through with the deal."

"But-"

"Look, Aaron." Lia was starting to get impatient. "The longer we stand here, the greater the risk those orbs are put at. I know this is your first official exploration, but, like it or not, this is what we're doing."

Aaron was still reluctant to doing this because even as a human, he has never fought a day in his life. Finally, he said, "Alright. I'll go with Lia to check it out."

Tremor nodded. "Ly. I want you to start getting items for the trip. Once you finish stocking up, come back by here to pick up your Escape orbs."

"Understood. Aaron, let's go."

Aaron and Lia made their way over to the Sharp Shoppe to stock up on items. As they approached, Spines noticed them coming over. "Hello there, Ly! You too, Aaron! What do you guys need?"

"We're going to be doing something slightly risky today."

"Well, you're in luck. I just got a new shipment of Reviver Seeds in today. I even managed to get my hands on some Quick Seeds."

Lily popped up from behind the counter. "What are you two going to be doing?" She then proceeded to latch onto Aaron like velcro.

"A secret mission. I'd rather not say for security reasons, but we are going into Misty Bog." Lia seemed unfazed.

"Misty Bog, huh. Well, I hope you two will be all right with the type disadvantages and all. Anyways, what should I get you?"

"Aaron. How many berries did you pick before I escorted you yesterday?"

He proceeded to count the number of berries and fruit. "Four Oran berries, one Chesto berry, and three apples."

"Alright, then. Spines, I need one apple, two Quick Seeds, five Reviver Seeds, and some Gravelerocks."

Spines took out all the items that Lia had asked for. "Will that be all?"

"Yes. Thank you." Lia handed the items to Aaron who put them in his satchel. They both proceeded to walk away from the store.

"Come back soon! Don't hurt yourself too much, Aaron!" Lily was only really worried about him.

Lia walked to the Misty Bog with Aaron. It wasn't a mystery dungeon, but it was hard to traverse nonetheless. It was mostly inhabited by Flying and Psychic type Pokemon. Around three-quarters of the way through, there was a clearing where someone before them had created a rest stop of sorts. They both sat down and ate two of their apples while they had a conversation. "Did Tremor say anything more about who was offering the orbs?"

Lia took a bite out of the apple. "He said it was a Swadloon named Slink." Lia just sighed. "He has the most clich name for a deal maker I've ever heard."

"He better have the orbs otherwise, this is all for nothing." Aaron took a small bite out of his apple.

"Well, then we know that the real orbs are still out there to retrieve before any gets to them."

"I guess." Aaron finished off his apple and they both got up and continued down the bog. They came to a larger clearing than the rest stop and saw a large twisted tree in the center of it. "So, where's Slink?"

Lia closed her eyes and sensed nothing. "He should be around this clearing."

Aaron and Lia began to walk around the clearing. Lia looked around the outer edge of the clearing while Aaron looked around the tree. He looked at the trunk of the tree and in all of its worn alcoves. He saw that one of the alcoves went into a larger hole in the tree. "Lia. Give me a hand." Lia lowered Aaron into the hollowed out area and it fell down about three feet. He landed on something firm but it wasn't solid ground. Aaron looked down and saw a green and yellow Pokemon that seemed to be wrapped in a leafy blanket. "Lia! I think I found Slink!"

"In the tree?"

"Yeah. I don't think he's in good shape right now, though." Aaron lifted him out with his arms and handed him over to Lia. They sprawled Slink out on the ground. He had one large claw-like gash on his side. Most of the wound was still fresh and the edges were slightly scabbed over. "Will he be alright?"

"I have no clue." She reached into Aaron's bag and brought out an Oran berry. She broke it half and try to feed it to Slink. He didn't respond at all. "If he's not eating, then he is unconscious. We need to bring him back to the guild hall."

"What about the orbs? When are we going to get those?"

"I don't know, but right now, his life is more important." Lia quickly wrapped up Slink's wound with some emergency gauze. "We have to carry him. You ready?"

Aaron nodded and the duo began to take Slink back to the guild hall. Once they came inside Lia began to take Aaron and Slink into a different gate in the main hall. This one had a blue border, unlike Team Gimp's purple border. Aaron saw a crowd of Pokemon made up of mainly Water-Type, Electric-Type, and Fairy-Type Pokemon. They continued holding him like a stretcher into what seemed to be an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A mostly blue and white Pokemon was standing in one of the rooms who became surprised at Aaron and Lia's sudden entry. It had white from its bottom to its midsection and was sectioned off by a wave and bubble-like pattern. It had a thin zig-zag tail with a small blue ball at the end of it (Azumarill).

"Hailey." This was one of the few times that Lia turned on her Tempfix. Lia's ruby red eyes showed distress that Aaron had never seen before. "This Pokemon needs to be treated, and quickly."

"Lia? What's happened?" Hailey the Azumarill was starting to get worried because of the bandages around Slink's torso.

"He was slashed in the side and he is still losing blood. I wrapped some emergency gauze around him, but he still needs treatment. He won't eat either."

Hailey lifted Slink out of Aaron and Lia's hands almost effortlessly and carried him over to one of the beds. She used a move that put up an almost divine aura around her to prevent the spreading of status ailments (Safeguard) while she treated Slink. "I need a Super Potion, some crushed Pecha berry, a Revive, and some fresh bandages. This is going to be a rough one." She first sprayed the wound with a Super Potion which made the area close up with a weak scar. Hailey took the bandages and rewrapped the area to prevent the wound from opening again. She took the Revive and pressed it lightly to Slink's chest. It made a soft yellow light emit from the area of pressure and Slink began to stir. His face instantly turned a sickly purple and he was writhing while about half-conscious. Hailey asked for a small glass of water and one of the nearby Clefairys came back with one almost immediately. She took the glass and mixed in the aforementioned crushed Pecha berries. Hailey, while holding the Pecha berry solution in one hand, tilted Slink's head up slightly and slowly let him drink the makeshift antidote. His face slowly turned to its normal yellow color and he stopped writhing on the bed. He was now asleep from exhaustion at that point. "His condition is stable now. All he needs now is some rest."

Lia was relieved. She let out a soft sigh and walked out into a waiting room of sorts and sat down while Aaron followed her. As she sat on the couch in a little waiting area, she turned off her Tempfix, returning her eyes to a milky white. "I'm sorry..." Lia's words made Aaron jump. "I know this isn't how you wanted your first mission to go, but..." She looked in Slink's direction which was behind a couple of walls.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. To be honest, I was expecting something along the lines of an ambush. I'm at least glad we were able to save Slink." Having a moment to think, Aaron looked around at everything. "Which team is this anyway?"

"Paramed. Team Paramed. They mainly accompany teams on rescue missions to revive guild members that have fallen in mystery dungeons. As you have seen, they are quite adept at recovery. Hailey has treated me several times when I was a recruit. I owe her a lot."

"When you were new here, did you run into things more too?"

Lia was visibly embarrassed. "I only still know my way around the Team Gimp wing. The walls of the Galamence guild hall are completely see-through when I use Aura Sight. I bump into the walls quite often still."

Aaron smiled a bit. "Glad to see the ace of Team Gimp isn't completely stuck-up."

"Thanks?" Lia wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. "Anyway, we need to report back to Tremor. Even though the orbs were not there, we still have to tell him about Slink."

Aaron nodded. Both of them stood up and started walking towards Team Paramed's exit. Lia turned her Tempfix on and kept it activated until they entered Team Gimp's entrance. She essentially had the entire place mapped out in her head and used Aura Sight to avoid bumping into other Pokemon. Tremor's office was completely black as usual, and he was currently sitting at his desk reading over some reports in praille (A/N: Pun on braille). Lia knocked on the entrance frame a couple of times. Tremor immediately recognized that it was Lia's knock and turned on his Tempfix.

"You're back. I didn't expect it to only take about two hours. How did the exchange go?"

Lia bowed her head slightly. "It did not go completely as planned but we did manage to rescue Slink in the process."

"Rescue him? What happened?"

"He was in the hollow of a tree when we found him. He was poisoned, bleeding, and unconscious. The orbs weren't anywhere around the site."

"Did you take him to Paramed?"

"He is currently resting. His gash was quite large, but luckily it wasn't too deep."

Tremor stared at the floor for a bit. "I guess the only thing to do is wait. You two can call it in for the day. With Paramed watching over him, he should be awake by tomorrow morning. That will be all." Tremor continued to read over the previous reports after sitting down and turning off his Tempfix.

Once Aaron and Lia left the office, Aaron asked the obvious question, "So, what now?"

Lia was also at a loss. However, she finally said, "If you're still up for it, we can do a different mission to pass the time."

Aaron agreed and they both proceeded to do a couple of item delivery missions until it was close to nighttime. The duo made their way back to the guild building in relative silence. They had both run out of topics to ask each other so the end result was an uncomfortable quiet. Lia walked Aaron back to his room in Team Gimp's wing. Her last words to him for that day was the same, "Lights out." She turned off his lights and walked to the entrance of the guild building and turned on her Aura Sight.

Nearby, atop one of the buildings close by the guild building, was a shadowy silhouette of a Pokemon. It spoke with a sharp voice at a strange orb, "I think we found the human. He's with the Galamence guild right now. I'm going to report this right away." It dashed off into the night unseen by anyone save for one, Lia. She proceeded to follow the suspicious Pokemon all the way into a clearing where she momentarily lost track of it. Focusing a bit harder, she noticed that it had fled into a hidden cave system underneath the clearing. Lia turned on her Tempfix to see exactly where she was and it was the final clearing of the Misty Bog. She decided to call it in for the night and to report what she had found in the morning. 


End file.
